Clothes dryer

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a clothes dryer. The clothes dryer comprises a box body; a drum; a pressure sensor; a heat pump system; a motor; the controller is configured to execute the following steps that in response to a preset drying instruction, the motor is controlled to drive the roller to rotate; acquiring a pressure fluctuation value of the load of the clothes dryer according to the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor within a first preset duration; determining the load condition of the clothes dryer according to the pressure fluctuation value; acquiring a target rotating speed of the motor according to the load condition; and drying the clothes in the roller according to the target rotating speed. Therefore, the load condition of the clothes dryer, namely the mass of the to-be-dried clothes, can be obtained according to the fluctuation condition of the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor, then the target rotating speed of the motor is obtained according to the load condition, the clothes in the roller are dried according to the target rotating speed, targeted drying according to the mass of the to-be-dried clothes is achieved, and the drying efficiency is improved. And the drying efficiency of the clothes dryer is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of clothes dryers, and in particular to a clothes dryer. Background Art

[0002] A clothes dryer is a household appliance used to dry wet clothes. It uses a heat pump to heat fresh, cold air into dry, hot air. This dry, hot air then exchanges heat with the clothes tumbling in a drum. This allows the moisture in the clothes to gradually evaporate due to the sufficient heat exchange with the dry, hot air, thus drying the clothes.

[0003] In the related art, the clothes dryer always uses the same drying program to dry the clothes in the clothes dryer, ignoring the influence of the load of the clothes dryer on the drying efficiency, resulting in poor drying efficiency of the clothes.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a clothes dryer that can improve drying efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a clothes dryer.

[0006] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application provides a dryer, comprising: a housing; a drum, arranged in the housing; the drum for accommodating clothes to be dried; a pressure sensor, arranged below the drum, the pressure sensor for detecting the pressure value of the dryer load; a heat pump system for regulating the temperature of the circulating gas in the dryer; a motor for providing rotational power to the drum; a controller, electrically connected to the motor, the pressure sensor and the heat pump system, the controller being configured to perform the following steps: controlling the motor to drive the drum to rotate in response to a preset drying instruction; obtaining a pressure fluctuation value of the dryer load according to the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor within a first preset time period; determining the load condition of the dryer according to the pressure fluctuation value; obtaining a target speed of the motor according to the load condition; and drying the clothes in the drum according to the target speed.

[0007] In the above embodiment, the motor is controlled to drive the drum to rotate in response to a preset drying instruction. Then, within a first preset time period, a pressure fluctuation value of the dryer load is obtained based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor. The dryer load is determined based on the pressure fluctuation value. A target motor speed is then obtained based on the load condition. The clothes in the drum are then dried based on the target speed. In this way, the dryer load, i.e., the mass of the clothes to be dried, can be obtained based on the pressure fluctuation detected by the pressure sensor. The target motor speed is then obtained based on the load condition, and the clothes in the drum are dried based on the target speed. This achieves targeted drying based on the mass of the clothes to be dried, improving the drying efficiency of the dryer compared to drying the clothes in the dryer using the same drying program.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the above solution, the clothes dryer further includes: a supporting wheel, the supporting wheel being used to support the drum; the pressure sensor and the supporting wheel supporting the drum together.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the dryer is supported at three points by the pressure sensor and the support wheel instead of two points by the support wheel, which improves the stability of the drum. At the same time, it allows the pressure sensor to contact the drum, so as to detect the pressure value of the dryer load.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: within the first preset time period, at every second preset time period, the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is determined as the real-time pressure value of the dryer load; and the pressure fluctuation value is obtained based on the real-time pressure value.

[0011] In the above embodiment, since the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor will fluctuate according to the load after the dryer rotates at the preset default speed, the load condition of the dryer can be accurately determined by the pressure fluctuation value within the first preset time period.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtaining an upper limit pressure value in the real-time pressure value and a lower limit pressure value in the real-time pressure value; and determining the difference between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value as the pressure fluctuation value.

[0013] In the above embodiment, the pressure fluctuation value of the motor within the first preset time period can be accurately obtained, so that the load condition of the dryer can be determined based on the pressure fluctuation value, so that drying at different motor speeds according to different load conditions can be achieved, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: using a preset pressure-speed database to perform a table lookup operation to obtain a first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material and the reference mass; the pressure-speed database stores the correspondence between the reference material, the reference mass and the first reference pressure; obtaining multiple reference fluctuation ranges based on the first reference pressure; and determining the load condition of the dryer based on each reference fluctuation range and the pressure fluctuation value.

[0015] In the above embodiment, the load condition of the dryer, that is, the mass of the clothes, can be obtained in combination with the material of the clothes, and drying can be achieved at different motor speeds according to different load conditions and different clothes materials, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtaining a second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass based on the first reference pressure; obtaining a reference pressure fluctuation of the dryer load based on the second reference pressure; and obtaining each reference fluctuation range based on the reference pressure fluctuation.

[0017] In the above embodiment, each reference fluctuation range can be accurately determined, so that the load condition of the dryer can be determined according to each reference fluctuation range, so that drying can be performed at different motor speeds according to different load conditions, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: for different reference masses, respectively, under the condition that the reference masses are the same, obtain the upper limit reference pressure of the first reference pressure; determine the upper limit reference pressure as the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass.

[0019] In the above embodiment, under the conditions of different reference masses, the first reference pressures under different reference materials are comprehensively considered, and the upper limit reference pressure of the first reference pressure is determined as the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass, so as to determine the target speed according to the second reference pressure, so that at the target speed, the clothes to be dried of different reference materials can all obtain better drying effects.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: sorting the second reference pressures corresponding to the reference masses in order from small to large; and sequentially determining the difference between the second reference pressure corresponding to the i+1th reference mass and the second reference pressure corresponding to the i-th reference mass as the reference pressure fluctuation.

[0021] In the above embodiment, the second reference pressure can be determined according to the second reference pressure corresponding to each reference mass, so that the load condition can be determined according to the second reference pressure, so that drying at different motor speeds can be achieved according to different load conditions, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the above solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: classifying the reference pressure fluctuations according to preset rules; and obtaining each reference fluctuation range based on reference pressure fluctuations of the same category.

[0023] In the above embodiment, multiple reference fluctuation ranges can be obtained according to different types of reference pressure fluctuations, so that the load conditions can be determined according to each reference fluctuation range, so that drying at different motor speeds can be achieved according to different load conditions, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the above-mentioned solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: setting the rotation speed of the motor to the target rotation speed to dry the clothes in the drum according to the target rotation speed.

[0025] In the above embodiment, the clothes in the drum can be dried according to the target speed corresponding to the load condition, thereby realizing targeted drying according to the quality of the clothes to be dried. Compared with using the same drying program to dry the clothes in the dryer, the drying efficiency of the dryer is improved.

[0026] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrating embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the specification, serving to explain the principles of the present application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present application, and a person of ordinary skill in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a clothes dryer shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a fixing method of a pressure sensor provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the positions of a pressure sensor, a support wheel, and a roller provided for an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 is a bottom view showing a schematic diagram of the positions of a pressure sensor and a support wheel provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 is a bottom view showing a schematic diagram of the positions of a pressure sensor and a support wheel provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 is a flow chart of steps that can be executed by a controller in a clothes dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a clothes dryer obtains a preset drying instruction, provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a clothes dryer obtains a preset drying instruction, provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 9 It is a flowchart of the steps of a controller in a washing machine according to various reference fluctuation ranges and pressure fluctuation values ​​provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application to determine the load condition of a dryer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0038] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically separate entities. That is, these functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0039] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be decomposed, while others may be combined or partially combined. Therefore, the actual execution order may vary depending on the actual situation.

[0040] It should also be noted that the term "plurality" used in this application refers to two or more than two. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0041] In the specification, claims, and drawings of this application, the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a particular order. The terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0042] The current control method for clothes dryers is to always use the same drying program to dry the clothes in the dryer. Based on this control method, even if the load of the clothes dryer changes, the control parameters of the clothes dryer will not change. This ignores the impact of the load on the drying efficiency, resulting in poor drying efficiency.

[0043] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application proposes a clothes dryer that can improve drying efficiency.

[0044] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0045] The clothes dryer 10 may include a housing 11. Housing 11 is the exterior structure of the dryer 10, securing and protecting the internal components. Housing 11 is typically made of metal or plastic. It also typically has a door for conveniently inserting and removing laundry. The door is typically sealed to prevent water leakage. Housing 11 also typically houses a display and a control panel, which may include buttons, knobs, or a touchscreen.

[0046] The clothes dryer 10 may include a drum 12 , which is disposed inside a housing 11 and is typically made of stainless steel. The drum 12 is used to accommodate clothes to be dried and dry the clothes. The clothes are evenly heated by rotating to remove moisture from the clothes.

[0047] The clothes dryer 10 may include a supporting wheel 16. The supporting wheel is used to support the drum.

[0048] The supporting wheels 16 can be fixed to the front plate of the box body 11 .

[0049] The number of the supporting wheels 16 of the clothes dryer 10 is greater than 2. For example, the clothes dryer 10 may have two supporting wheels 16, one of which is located at the lower left of the drum, and the other is located at the lower right of the drum.

[0050] Dryer 10 may include a pressure sensor 17. This pressure sensor 17 supports the drum together with support wheels 16. This shifts the dryer's two-point support system from the support wheels to three-point support, including the pressure sensor and the support wheels. This improves the drum's stability. Furthermore, the pressure sensor is able to contact the drum, facilitating detection of the dryer's load pressure.

[0051] Pressure sensor 17 is used to detect the pressure value of the dryer load, that is, the pressure value of the load on drum 12. For example, when there is no laundry placed in drum 12, the load on drum 12 includes the load of the drum itself. When there is laundry placed in drum 12, the load on drum 12 includes the load of the drum itself and the load of the laundry placed in the drum.

[0052] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fixing method of a pressure sensor provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the pressure sensor 17 is fixed to the front plate 18 of the housing 11 and is disposed below the drum so as to detect the pressure value of the dryer load.

[0053] The pressure sensor 17 and the support wheel 16 can be located on the cylindrical surface of the drum 12, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the positions of the pressure sensor, support wheel, and roller.

[0054] In an alternative embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 FIG1 is a bottom view of a schematic diagram of the positions of the pressure sensor and the support wheel provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The pressure sensor 17 and the support wheel 16 may be located on the same circumferential radius of the cylindrical surface.

[0055] In another optional embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 FIG2 is a bottom view of a schematic diagram of the positions of a pressure sensor and a support wheel provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application. The pressure sensor 17 and the support wheel 16 may be located at different circumferential radii on the cylindrical surface.

[0056] The clothes dryer 10 may include a heat pump system 13, which is disposed inside the housing 11 and is used to provide dry hot air to the drum. The heat pump system 13 is used to adjust the temperature of the circulating air in the clothes dryer to dry the clothes in the drum.

[0057] The dryer 10 may include a motor 14. The motor 14 is the power source of the dryer 10 and is responsible for rotating the drum 12 to turn the clothes inside the drum. This allows the dry hot air to fully mix with the clothes, improving the drying effect.

[0058] The clothes dryer 10 may include a controller 15. The controller 15 is electrically connected to the motor 14, the pressure sensor 17, and the heat pump system 13. Figure 6 , Figure 6 6 is a flowchart of steps that can be executed by a controller in a clothes dryer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller can be configured to execute the following steps S610 to S650:

[0059] Step S610: In response to a preset drying instruction, the motor is controlled to drive the drum to rotate.

[0060] Step S620 : obtaining a pressure fluctuation value of the dryer load according to the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor within a first preset time period.

[0061] Step S630: Determine the load condition of the clothes dryer according to the pressure fluctuation value.

[0062] Step S640: Obtain the target speed of the motor according to the load condition.

[0063] Step S650: Dry the clothes in the drum according to the target rotation speed.

[0064] The following describes these five steps in detail.

[0065] In step S610, the preset drying instruction is a control instruction instructing the dryer to start drying.

[0066] In some optional embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a scenario in which a clothes dryer obtains a preset drying instruction is provided as an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, after user 71 places clothes to be dried into the drum, they press the start drying button on the control panel 72 of dryer 10. Dryer 10 detects this and automatically generates a preset drying instruction. This process can be considered as the user issuing the preset drying instruction to the dryer via the control panel.

[0067] In other optional embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a scenario in which a clothes dryer obtains a preset drying instruction is provided as another exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, after user 71 places the clothes to be dried into the drum, the user sends a preset drying instruction to the dryer 10 through the dryer control program on the user terminal 81, such as a mobile phone, tablet, or smart watch. Upon receiving the drying instruction sent by the user terminal 81, the dryer 10 starts drying the clothes to be dried.

[0068] Furthermore, controlling the motor to drive the drum to rotate includes: controlling the motor to rotate at a preset default speed to drive the drum to rotate.

[0069] In step S620, the first preset time length can be greater than 0.5 seconds, and the first preset time length can be less than 1 minute. It should be noted that if the first preset time length is less than 0.5 seconds, the number of pressure values ​​detected by the pressure sensor will be small, resulting in inaccurate pressure fluctuation values. If the first preset time length is more than 1 minute, time is wasted, resulting in low drying efficiency.

[0070] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: determining the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor as the real-time pressure value of the dryer load at intervals of a second preset time within the first preset time period; and obtaining a pressure fluctuation value based on the real-time pressure value. In this way, since the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor will fluctuate depending on the load after the dryer rotates at a preset default speed, the dryer load condition can be accurately determined based on the pressure fluctuation value within the first preset time period.

[0071] The second preset time length is shorter than the first preset time length.

[0072] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtaining an upper pressure limit value and a lower pressure limit value from the real-time pressure values; and determining the difference between the upper pressure limit and the lower pressure limit as a pressure fluctuation value. This allows accurate determination of the motor's pressure fluctuation value within a first preset time period, thereby facilitating determination of the dryer's load condition based on the pressure fluctuation value. This allows drying at different motor speeds based on varying load conditions, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0073] It should be noted that because the second preset time duration is shorter than the first preset time duration, the real-time speed of the motor is obtained at intervals of the second preset time duration. Within the first preset time duration, the pressure sensor can detect multiple pressure values. The upper limit pressure value of the real-time pressure value is the maximum value of the real-time pressure values. The lower limit pressure value of the real-time pressure value is the minimum value of the real-time pressure values.

[0074] In some optional embodiments, the difference between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value is determined as the pressure fluctuation value, that is, the speed fluctuation value is obtained by calculating ΔP=Pm-PI; wherein ΔP is the pressure fluctuation value; Pm is the upper limit pressure value in the real-time pressure value, that is, the maximum value among all real-time pressure values; PI is the lower limit pressure value in the real-time pressure value, that is, the minimum value among all real-time pressure values.

[0075] In step S630 , it should be noted that the pressure fluctuation value of the clothes dryer will fluctuate according to the load. Therefore, the load condition of the clothes dryer can be accurately determined by the pressure fluctuation value within the first preset time period.

[0076] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: performing a table lookup operation using a preset pressure-speed database to obtain a first reference pressure corresponding to a reference material and a reference mass; the pressure-speed database stores the correspondence between the reference material, the reference mass, and the first reference pressure; obtaining multiple reference fluctuation ranges based on the first reference pressure; and determining the load of the dryer based on each reference fluctuation range. In this way, the load of the dryer, i.e., the mass of the clothes, can be determined based on the material of the clothes, enabling drying at different motor speeds depending on the load and the material of the clothes, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0077] It should be noted that the load condition of the clothes dryer may include a first reference load, a second reference load, and a third reference load. For example, the first reference load is a light load, the second reference load is a medium load, and the third reference load is a heavy load. The reference fluctuation range corresponds to the load condition of the clothes dryer. For example, the reference fluctuation range includes a first reference fluctuation range, a second reference fluctuation range, and a third reference fluctuation range. The first reference fluctuation range corresponds to a light load, the second reference fluctuation range corresponds to a medium load, and the third reference fluctuation range corresponds to a heavy load.

[0078] It's important to note that different reference materials have different corresponding water absorption rates. The higher the water absorption, the longer the drying time required. In other words, a reference material with high water absorption experiences less weight change during the drying process. Therefore, incorporating the reference material into the load determination process improves accuracy.

[0079] The reference material is the material of daily washing clothes, which may include cotton, linen and chemical fiber. In this way, it can be more suitable for the washing of users' daily clothes.

[0080] The reference mass does not exceed the maximum mass of the laundry to be dried that the dryer can accommodate. The reference mass can be any number of mass values ​​within the maximum mass.

[0081] Furthermore, the reference mass can be determined based on the maximum mass of the laundry to be dried that the dryer can accommodate and a preset mass interval. For example, when the maximum mass of the laundry to be dried that the dryer can accommodate is 10 kg and the preset mass interval is 1 kg, the reference masses may include: 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 4 kg, 5 kg, 6 kg, 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, and 10 kg. When the maximum mass of the laundry to be dried that the dryer can accommodate is 10 kg and the preset mass interval is 2 kg, the reference masses may include: 2 kg, 4 kg, 6 kg, 8 kg, and 10 kg. When the maximum mass of the laundry to be dried that the dryer can accommodate is 15 kg and the preset mass interval is 1 kg, the reference masses may include: 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 4 kg, 5 kg, 6 kg, 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, 11 kg, 12 kg, 13 kg, 14 kg, and 15 kg.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, when the maximum mass of clothes to be dried that the dryer can accommodate is 10 kg and the preset mass interval is 1 kg, the motor speed database is obtained in the following manner: cloths of different reference materials with different reference masses are placed in the dryer in sequence, for example: 1 kg of cloth whose reference material is linen is placed in the dryer for the first time, 2 kg of cloth whose reference material is linen is placed in the dryer for the second time, ..., 10 kg of cloth whose reference material is linen is placed in the dryer for the tenth time, 1 kg of cloth whose reference material is cotton is placed in the dryer for the eleventh time, 2 kg of cloth whose reference material is cotton is placed in the dryer for the twelfth time, ..., 10 kg of cloth whose reference material is cotton is placed in the dryer for the twentieth time, 1 kg of cloth whose reference material is chemical fiber is placed in the dryer for the twenty-first time, 2 kg of cloth whose reference material is chemical fiber is placed in the dryer for the twenty-second time, ..., 10 kg of cloth whose reference material is chemical fiber is placed in the dryer for the thirtieth time. Each time a piece of cloth is placed in the dryer, the dryer controls the motor to rotate at a preset default speed. Within a first preset time period and at intervals of a second preset time period, the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is determined as the real-time pressure value of the dryer load. The average or maximum value of the real-time pressure values ​​is then determined as the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material and reference mass of the cloth placed in the dryer. Finally, thirty first reference pressures corresponding to the reference material and reference mass are obtained. These thirty first reference pressures corresponding to the reference material and reference mass are stored to form a pressure-speed database.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Table 1, which is an example table of the pressure-speed database.

[0084]

[0085]

[0086] Table 1

[0087] As shown in Table 1, when the reference material is linen and the reference mass is 1 kg, the reference speed of the first motor corresponding to the reference material and the reference mass is Pa1; when the reference material is linen and the reference mass is 2 kg, the reference speed of the first motor corresponding to the reference material and the reference mass is Pa2; when the reference material is cotton and the reference mass is 1 kg, the reference speed of the first motor corresponding to the reference material and the reference mass is Pb1; when the reference material is chemical fiber and the reference mass is 1 kg, the reference speed of the first motor corresponding to the reference material and the reference mass is Pc1.

[0088] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtaining a second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass based on the first reference pressure; obtaining a reference pressure fluctuation corresponding to the dryer load based on the second reference pressure; and obtaining various reference fluctuation ranges based on the reference pressure fluctuations. In this way, the various reference fluctuation ranges can be accurately determined, so that the dryer load can be determined based on the various reference fluctuation ranges. This allows drying at different motor speeds depending on the load, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0089] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: for different reference masses, under the condition that the reference masses are the same, obtaining an upper limit reference pressure of the first reference pressure; and determining the upper limit reference pressure as the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass. In this way, under the condition that the reference masses are different, the first reference pressures under different reference materials are comprehensively considered, and the upper limit reference pressure of the first reference pressure is determined as the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass, so that the target speed is determined based on the second reference pressure, so that at the target speed, clothes to be dried of different reference materials can all achieve a good drying effect.

[0090] It should be noted that, when the reference masses are the same, the first reference pressure corresponds to each reference material, and the upper limit reference speed of the first reference pressure is the maximum value of the first reference pressures corresponding to each reference material.

[0091] In some embodiments of the present application, when the reference mass is 1 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa1, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb1, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc1. Then the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 1 kg is P1 = max(Pa1, Pb1, Pc1), where max() is the formula for obtaining the maximum value.

[0092] When the reference mass is 2kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa2, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb2, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc2. Then the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 2kg is P2=max(Pa2, Pb2, Pc2).

[0093] When the reference mass is 3 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa3, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb3, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc3. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 3 kg is P3 = max (Pa3, Pb3, Pc3).

[0094] When the reference mass is 4 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa4, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb4, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc4. Then the second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass 4 kg is P4 = max (Pa4, Pb4, Pc4).

[0095] When the reference mass is 5kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa5, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb5, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc5. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 5kg is P5=max(Pa5, Pb5, Pc5).

[0096] When the reference mass is 6 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa6, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb6, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc6. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 6 kg is P6 = max (Pa6, Pb6, Pc6).

[0097] When the reference mass is 7 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa7, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb7, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc7. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass 7 kg is P7 = max (Pa7, Pb7, Pc7).

[0098] When the reference mass is 8kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa8, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb8, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc8. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass 8kg is P8=max(Pa8, Pb8, Pc8).

[0099] When the reference mass is 9 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa9, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb9, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc9. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 9 kg is P9 = max (Pa9, Pb9, Pc9).

[0100] When the reference mass is 10 kg, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material linen is Pa10, the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material cotton is Pb10, and the first reference pressure corresponding to the reference material chemical fiber is Pc10. The second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass of 10 kg is P10 = max (Pa10, Pb10, Pc10).

[0101] Then, the second reference pressures corresponding to the reference masses include P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9 and P10.

[0102] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: sorting the second reference pressures corresponding to the reference masses in ascending order of reference mass; and determining the difference between the second reference pressure corresponding to the (i+1)th reference mass and the second reference pressure corresponding to the (i)th reference mass as the reference pressure fluctuation. In this way, the second reference pressure can be determined based on the second reference pressures corresponding to the respective reference masses, thereby facilitating determination of the load condition based on the second reference pressure, thereby enabling drying at different motor speeds depending on the load condition, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0103] It should be noted that i is a positive integer. i starts at 1, and the difference between the second reference pressure corresponding to the i+1th reference mass and the second reference pressure corresponding to the i-th reference mass is determined as the reference pressure fluctuation. i is incremented by 1 each time until the differences of all reference masses are calculated.

[0104] In one embodiment of the present application, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 1 kg is P1, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 2 kg is P2, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 3 kg is P3, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 4 kg is P4, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 5 kg is P5, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 6 kg is P6, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 7 kg is P7, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 8 kg is P8, the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 9 kg is P9, and the second reference pressure corresponding to a reference mass of 10 kg is P10. The second reference pressures corresponding to the reference masses are sorted in ascending order of reference mass, i.e., P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, and P10. Multiple reference pressure fluctuations are then obtained by calculating ΔPi = P(i+1) - Pi. For example: by calculating ΔP1=P2-P1, the first reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP2=P3-P2, the second reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP3=P4-P3, the third reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP4=P5-P4, the fourth reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP5=P6-P5, the fifth reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP6=P7-P6, the sixth reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP7=P8-P7, the seventh reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP8=P9-P8, the eighth reference pressure fluctuation is obtained; by calculating ΔP9=P10-P9, the ninth reference pressure fluctuation is obtained.

[0105] Furthermore, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: classifying the reference pressure fluctuations according to a preset rule; and obtaining reference fluctuation ranges based on reference pressure fluctuations of the same category. In this way, multiple reference fluctuation ranges can be obtained based on different types of reference pressure fluctuations, so that the load condition can be determined based on each reference fluctuation range. This allows drying at different motor speeds based on different load conditions, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0106] It should be noted that the number of reference fluctuation ranges is the same as the number of classification types of reference pressure fluctuations.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present application, the load conditions of the dryer may include small load, medium load and large load. The reference fluctuation range includes a first reference fluctuation range, a second reference fluctuation range and a third reference fluctuation range. The first reference fluctuation range corresponds to a small load. The second reference fluctuation range corresponds to a medium load. The third reference fluctuation range corresponds to a large load. The reference pressure fluctuations are classified according to preset rules, that is, the reference pressure fluctuations are classified according to the preset number of types and the order in which the reference pressure fluctuations are obtained, for example: the first reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP1, the second reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP2, the third reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP3, the fourth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP4, the fifth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP5, the sixth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP6, the seventh reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP7, the eighth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP8, and the ninth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP9, the preset number of types is 3, and there are 9 / 3=3 reference pressure fluctuations in each category, that is, the first obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP1, the second obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP2 and the third obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP3 as the first category, the fourth obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP4, the fifth obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP5 and the sixth obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP6 as the second category, the seventh obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP7, the eighth obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP8 and the ninth obtained reference pressure fluctuation is ΔP9 as the third category.

[0108] Furthermore, the reference fluctuation ranges are obtained based on the reference pressure fluctuations of the same type, that is, the type upper limit value and type lower limit value corresponding to each type are obtained respectively; and the fluctuation range between the type upper limit value and the type lower limit value of the same type is determined as each reference fluctuation range. For example:

[0109] If the reference pressure fluctuations are calculated in order of reference mass from small to large, the reference pressure fluctuations of the first category include: the first reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP1, the second reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP2, and the third reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP3. The reference pressure fluctuations of the second category include: the fourth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP4, the fifth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP5, and the sixth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP6. The reference pressure fluctuations of the third category include: the seventh reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP7, the eighth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP8, and the ninth reference pressure fluctuation obtained is ΔP9. Then

[0110] The upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category is the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category, the lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category is the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category, and the fluctuation range between the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category and the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the first category is the reference fluctuation range corresponding to the first category, which corresponds to a small load.

[0111] The upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category is the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category, the lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category is the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category, and the fluctuation range between the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category and the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the second category is the reference fluctuation range corresponding to the second category, which corresponds to medium load.

[0112] The upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category is the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category, the lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category is the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category, and the fluctuation range between the type upper limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category and the type lower limit value of the reference pressure fluctuation of the third category is the reference fluctuation range corresponding to the third category, which corresponds to a large load.

[0113] Furthermore, determining the load condition of the dryer according to each reference fluctuation range and the pressure fluctuation value includes: determining the reference fluctuation range in which the pressure fluctuation value is located; and determining the load condition corresponding to the reference fluctuation range as the load condition of the dryer.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to determine the load condition, please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the steps for a controller in a washing machine, provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application, to determine the load condition of a clothes dryer based on various reference fluctuation ranges and pressure fluctuation values. The reference fluctuation ranges include a first reference fluctuation range, a second reference fluctuation range, and a third reference fluctuation range. The first reference fluctuation range corresponds to a first reference load, i.e., a light load. The second reference fluctuation range corresponds to a second reference load, i.e., a medium load. The third reference fluctuation range corresponds to a third reference load, i.e., a heavy load. The controller may be configured to perform the following steps S910-S940:

[0115] Step S910: Determine whether the pressure fluctuation value is within a preset first reference fluctuation range. If so, proceed to step S920; if not, proceed to step S930.

[0116] Step S920: Determine a first reference load corresponding to the first reference fluctuation range as a load condition.

[0117] Step S930: Determine whether the pressure fluctuation value is within a preset second reference fluctuation range. If so, execute step S940; if not, execute step S950.

[0118] Step S940: Determine a second reference load corresponding to the second reference fluctuation range as the load condition.

[0119] Step S950: Determine a third reference load corresponding to the third reference fluctuation range as the load condition.

[0120] In this way, the load condition of the dryer can be accurately determined based on the reference fluctuation range of the pressure fluctuation value, so that the clothes in the drum can be dried according to the target speed corresponding to the load condition, thereby achieving targeted drying according to the quality of the clothes to be dried. Compared with using the same drying program to dry the clothes in the dryer, the drying efficiency of the dryer is improved.

[0121] In step S640 , the first reference load corresponds to a first reference speed, the second reference load corresponds to a second reference speed, and the third reference load corresponds to a third reference speed.

[0122] In some embodiments of the present application, the target speed of the motor is obtained according to the load condition, that is, when the load condition is a first reference load, the first reference speed corresponding to the first reference load is determined as the target speed of the motor; when the load condition is a second reference load, the second reference speed corresponding to the second reference load is determined as the target speed of the motor; when the load condition is a third reference load, the third reference speed corresponding to the third reference load is determined as the target speed of the motor.

[0123] In step S650, the controller is further configured to execute the following steps: setting the motor speed to a target speed to dry the clothes in the drum at the target speed. In this way, the clothes in the drum can be dried at the target speed corresponding to the load condition, achieving targeted drying based on the quality of the clothes to be dried. Compared with drying the clothes in the dryer using the same drying program, the drying efficiency of the dryer is improved.

[0124] In an embodiment of the present application, a motor is controlled to drive the drum to rotate in response to a preset drying instruction. Then, within a first preset time period, a pressure fluctuation value of the dryer load is obtained based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor. The load of the dryer is determined based on the pressure fluctuation value. A target speed of the motor is obtained based on the load. The clothes in the drum are dried based on the target speed. In this way, the load of the dryer, i.e., the mass of the clothes to be dried, can be obtained based on the fluctuation of the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor. The target speed of the motor is then obtained based on the load, and the clothes in the drum are dried based on the target speed. This achieves targeted drying based on the mass of the clothes to be dried, improving the drying efficiency of the dryer compared to drying the clothes in the dryer using the same drying program.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer, characterized in that: include: Box; A drum is provided in the box; the drum is used to accommodate clothes to be dried; A pressure sensor is provided below the drum, and is used to detect the pressure value of the dryer load; a heat pump system for regulating the temperature of circulating air in the clothes dryer; a motor, for providing rotational power to the drum; A controller is electrically connected to the motor, the pressure sensor, and the heat pump system, and is configured to perform the following steps: In response to a preset drying instruction, controlling the motor to drive the drum to rotate; within a first preset time period, obtaining a pressure fluctuation value of the dryer load according to the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor; determining a load condition of the clothes dryer according to the pressure fluctuation value; Obtaining a target speed of the motor according to the load condition; The clothes in the drum are dried according to the target rotation speed.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that The clothes dryer further comprises: A supporting wheel is used to support the roller; the pressure sensor and the supporting wheel support the roller together.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is further configured to: Within the first preset time period, at intervals of a second preset time period, the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is determined as the real-time pressure value of the dryer load; The pressure fluctuation value is obtained according to the real-time pressure value.

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that The controller is further configured to: Obtaining an upper limit pressure value in the real-time pressure values ​​and a lower limit pressure value in the real-time pressure values; A difference between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value is determined as the pressure fluctuation value.

5. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is further configured to: A table lookup operation is performed using a preset pressure-speed database to obtain a first reference pressure corresponding to a reference material and a reference mass; the pressure-speed database stores a correspondence between the reference material, the reference mass, and the first reference pressure; acquiring a plurality of reference fluctuation ranges according to the first reference pressure; The load condition of the clothes dryer is determined according to each reference fluctuation range and the pressure fluctuation value.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that The controller is further configured to: Acquire a second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass according to the first reference pressure; obtaining a reference pressure fluctuation of the dryer load according to the second reference pressure; The reference fluctuation ranges are obtained according to the reference pressure fluctuations.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 6, characterized in that The controller is further configured to: For different reference masses, respectively, under the condition that the reference masses are the same, obtaining an upper limit reference pressure of the first reference pressure; The upper limit reference pressure is determined as a second reference pressure corresponding to the reference mass.

8. The clothes dryer according to claim 6, wherein: The controller is further configured to: Sort the second reference pressures corresponding to the reference masses in ascending order of reference masses; The difference between the second reference pressure corresponding to the (i+1)th reference mass and the second reference pressure corresponding to the (i)th reference mass is sequentially determined as the reference pressure fluctuation.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 6, wherein: The controller is further configured to: classifying the reference pressure fluctuations according to preset rules; The reference fluctuation ranges are obtained according to the same type of reference pressure fluctuations.

10. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to: The rotation speed of the motor is set to the target rotation speed, so as to dry the clothes in the drum according to the target rotation speed.

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